Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi will be staying put at Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window, with Blues manager Maurizio Sarri saying Tuesday “the club told me he’s out of the market”.
The 18-year-old England youth international is out of contract in 2020, with Hudson-Odoi reportedly keen to force through a move to German giants Bayern Munich before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Hudson-Odoi scored his second Chelsea goal on his sixth start of the season in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Sheffield Wednesday.
But he is yet to start in the Premier League and has made just three substitute appearances in the top flight, the first coming on Boxing Day at Watford.
But Sarri stressed again on Tuesday that London club Chelsea wanted Hudson-Odoi to stay at Stamford Bridge.
“On the pitch, he’s doing very well,” Sarri said. “I’m really very happy with him. I’m not very happy with the situation, but I know very well that every big team here in England has the same problem.
“It’s not easy to keep these young players. He is, of course, one of the best 18-year-old players in Europe, so it’s very, very difficult.
“The club told me he’s out of the market for sure and probably he will be out of the market in July.”
Sarri, speaking ahead of Chelsea’s match away to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Wednesday, added: “He’s improving. I think he’ll be the future of our club. He will be the future of English football.”
But as to whether Hudson-Odoi would sign a new contract, Sarri said that was for others at Chelsea to decide, with the 60-year-old manager saying he could not give the England Under-19 international any guarantees over game time.
“I cannot do anything, as you know very well,” Sarri told reporters. “If I have the power to sign a new contract, I can do everything.
“It’s impossible to promise him that he will play every match because it depends on the situation.”
